Container for discarded smoking materials

ABSTRACT

A container has a disposable receptacle present within the container. The disposable receptacle, such as a suitably structured bag, is positioned within the container, and an air eliminator eliminates air from a space that is between the bag and the container, so that the bag is pulled against an interior of the container, thereby reducing the flammability and puncture resistance of the bag. The bag has a closure mechanism that prevents air from entering the bag, and that prevents smoke from escaping from the bag, after a burning object is placed within the bag.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to containers for discarded smokingmaterials, such as ashtrays.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Objections to public smoking are increasing. Nonsmokers do notwish to be exposed to second-hand smoke, or the odor of extinguishedcigarettes. One source of second-hand smoke is cigarettes and cigarsthat are only partially extinguished in ashtrays. Further, the smell ofextinguished cigars and cigarettes is offensive to most people. As anincreasing number of establishments prohibit, or discourage, smoking, agreater number of people smoke in automobiles, and subsequently discardthe cigarette butt out of the window, to avoid the offensive odor of thecigarette butt in their car.

[0003] A need exists for a central depository for smoking materials thatis conveniently positioned, such as in automobiles and near the entranceto such establishments. Specifically, there is a need for an ashtraythat will receive smoking materials, and retard smoke from exiting thedevice, in the event that the cigar or cigarette is not fullyextinguished. Preferably, the device will retain offensive odors withinthe device, and prevent discarded smoking materials from being seen ordetected by olfactory senses. The device should provide means for easilyremoving cigarette butts and the like from the device. The device shouldnot be flammable, while at the same time, the device should assist inextinguishing burning materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention is a container that has a disposableportion present within the container. The disposable receptacle, such asa suitably structured bag, is positioned within the container, and anair eliminator eliminates air from a space that is between the bag andthe container, so that the bag is pulled against an interior of thecontainer, thereby reducing the flammability, and increasing thepuncture resistance, of the bag. The bag has a closure mechanism thatprevents air from entering the bag, and that prevents smoke fromescaping from the bag, after a burning object is placed within the bag.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ashtray.

[0006]FIG. 2 is a sectioned view of the ashtray, taken essentially alongline 2—2 of FIG. 1.

[0007]FIG. 3 is an exploded isolation of an embodiment of the closuremechanism.

[0008]FIG. 4 is an isolation of the closure mechanism.

[0009]FIG. 5 is an additional view of the closure mechanism.

[0010]FIG. 6 is a sectioned view of the ashtray demonstrating a methodof use of the ashtray.

[0011]FIG. 7 is a sectioned view of the ashtray, demonstrating themethod of use of the ashtray.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0012]FIG. 1 shows the ashtray with the disposable receptacle in theform of a bag 2 present within the container 4 that forms the ashtray.An opening is present in the upper portion of the bag.

[0013] As show in FIG. 2, the bag extends from the upper opening of thecontainer into a lower portion of the container. The upper portion ofthe container may be funnel shaped, so that an interior of the containerhas an hourglass shape. By way of further explanation, the uppermostpart of the container has a wide opening for easy placement of objectswithin the bag and container. The upper portion of the container belowthe opening, as shown in this embodiment, has an inverse conicallyshaped void, which is to say that the upper portion of the interior voidin the container is a funnel. This upper portion of the containerreceives and funnels the discarded object toward a center restrictionwithin the opening of the container. The void in the container expandsin a lower portion to provide adequate room for the reception of, andholding of, cigarette butts 5 and other discarded objects, andparticularly burning or materials that are offensive to sight and smell.

[0014] The upper portion of the container is formed for easy deposit ofa cigarette butt into the container, while the central portion of thecontainer narrows for operation of the closure mechanism. The lowerportion of the container is enlarged from the central portion, so thatthere is adequate storage of cigarette butts and related materials.

[0015] The disposable bag is positioned within the container, and isshaped to conform generally to the interior contours of the container,as shown in FIG. 2. The bag is preferred to be made of flame-retardantmaterials. Examples of flame-retardant materials are aluminum foil,plastic cooking bags and treated cotton paper or a layered combinationof flame retardant materials, although this list is not exhaustive.

[0016] The container has a removable lower portion that provides accessto the lower, receptacle portion of the container. This lower removableportion 6 may be removed and attached by threaded means, as shown inFIG. 2.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the closure mechanism 8 applies pressure to acentral portion of the bag that is below the upper portion of the bag,and above the lower portion of the bag. By applying pressure to thecentral portion of the bag, the bag is pinched shut.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, the closure mechanism may be spring biased. Aflame-retardant deformable conduit 10 is present within the closuremechanism. The deformable conduit is normally open when no pressure isapplied to it, that is, a cigarette butt and related objects may beeasily placed through the conduit. As shown in FIG. 4, when thedeformable conduit is placed within the closure mechanism, springbiasing 12 forces the closure mechanism to pinch the conduit closed. Inthe normal position, a spring forces the parts 14, 16 of the closuremechanism in opposite directions, so that a force is applied to thedeformable conduit, and the deformable conduit is maintained in theclosed position. When manual pressure is applied to the ends of theclosure mechanism, as shown in FIG. 5, the pressure is relieved from thedeformable conduit and the deformable conduit opens, allowing cigarettebutts and related objects to pass through the deformable conduit and thecentral portion of the bag. As shown in FIG. 7, manual pressure forcesthe sections of the closure mechanism toward each other, relievingpressure on the deformable conduit, and the deformable conduit isopened. A void in parts 14, 16, and though which the conduit passes, arealigned as shown in FIG. 5, and the conduit is reshaped by the void.Other devices that will close the central portion of the bag and preventaccess to the lower receptacle portion of the bag may be used.

[0019] The device provides an air eliminator 18, which is preferred tobe a vacuum pump, and may be a manual vacuum pump as shown in FIG. 2. Aspace 20 is present between the lower portion of the container and thelower portion of the bag, as shown in FIG. 6, when the bag is initiallyplaced into the container. The air eliminator is used to eliminate airthat is present in the space, and pull the bag against the inner wallsof the container. The bag is attached to the container, such as at thetop of the container, in a manner that seals the space between the bagand that container. This seal prevents a material amount of air frombeing pulled into the space between the bag and the container by the aireliminator as it is actuated. An elastic band 22 may be used to retainthe bag against the container as shown, which both retains the bag inposition in the container, and prevents air from entering space betweenthe bag and the container at the upper portion thereof. Similarly, anO-ring 24 or similar seal is provided where the lower portion of thecontainer is removably attached to the container, so that air is notpulled into the space 20 by the air eliminator.

[0020] In use, the bag is positioned within the container as shown inFIG. 6. The elastic band is used to attach the bag at an upper portionthereof to an upper portion of the container 22. The lower portion ofthe bag extends into the lower portion, or receptacle, of the container.The closure mechanism is actuated so as to open the conduit, so that thebag may be positioned through the conduit. The lower portion of thecontainer may be unscrewed to assist in positioning the bag within thecontainer.

[0021] After the bag is secured at an upper portion thereof to an upperportion of the container, and the lower portion of the container issecurely threaded onto the upper portion of the container, the aireliminator is actuated by pressing the air eliminator to actuate thepump. The air eliminator pulls air that is trapped between the bag andthe inner walls of the container. By pulling the bag against the innerwalls of the container, the bag becomes increasingly flame and punctureresistant. It is well known that when certain relatively thin sheets ofmaterial, such as textiles, are tightly pulled against another object,the resistance to burning is increased, as compared to air being presenton both sides of the object. Pulling the bag against the container bythe air eliminator expands the bag to increase its capacity, but moreimportantly, this process enhances the flame retardant and punctureresistant properties of the bag.

[0022] After the bag is in position, the closure mechanism may beactuated to open the conduit, allowing cigarette butts and relatedmaterials to be placed within the device. The large, funnel shapedopening allows cigarette butts to enter the bag, and to be funneledthrough the closure mechanism. After cigarette butts are placed into thedevice and are allowed to fall into the lower receptacle portion of thecontainer, the closure mechanism is released, and the normal position ofthe closure device forces the conduit to close, which in turn preventsingress to the lower portion of the bag. In the event that the cigarettebutt is still burning, the closure mechanism prevents additional airfrom facilitating combustion, and also prevents smoke from escaping fromthe device. Smells that are associated with cigarettes are also heldwithin the container by the closures mechanism.

[0023] After the disposable bag has reached a desired capacity ofdiscarded cigarette butts and related materials, the bag may be removedand replaced. The lower portion of the container is unscrewed, and theelastic band is released from the upper portion of the bag. The closuremechanism is opened. The bag may then be easily pulled out of thecontainer through the opening formed by the removal of the lower portionof the container. The bag can be easily and cleanly discarded and a newbag can be installed.

[0024] In one embodiment, the container is designed to fit in anexisting cup holder in most cars. The cup holder may be designed forother indoor/outdoor applications and according to the specificationherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ashtray, comprising, a) a container, b) a bagthat is present within said container, and c) an air eliminator thatcommunicates with a space that is between said bag and said container,wherein said bag is attached to said container so that said space issubstantially air tight.
 2. An ashtray as described in claim 1, whereinsaid container has a closure mechanism, and wherein said closuremechanism selectively applies pressure to said bag to separate an upperportion of said bag from a lower portion of said bag.
 3. An ashtray asdescribed in claim 2, wherein said air eliminator communicates with aspace that is between said lower portion of said bag and said container.4. An ashtray as described in claim 1, wherein an upper portion of saidcontainer that supports said bag is funnel shaped.
 5. An ashtray asdescribed in claim 2, wherein an upper portion of said container that isabove said closure mechanism is funnel shaped.
 6. An ashtray asdescribed in claim 1, wherein said bag is flame retardant.
 7. An ashtrayas described in claim 1, wherein a lower portion of said container maybeselectively separated from an upper portion of said container.
 8. Anashtray as described in claim 2, wherein a lower portion of saidcontainer that is below said closure mechanism maybe selectivelyseparated from an upper portion of said container.
 9. An ashtray asdescribed in claim 1, wherein said air eliminator is a vacuum pump. 10.An ashtray as described in claim 1, wherein said closure mechanism isspring biased.
 11. A method of using the ashtray of claim 2, comprisingthe steps of: a) positioning said bag within said container, with anupper portion of said bag located above said closure mechanism, andlower portion of said bag positioned below said closure mechanism; andb) eliminating air from said space between said lower portion of saidbag and said container by operating said air eliminator; c) actuatingsaid closure mechanism to provide a conduit between said upper portionof said bag and said lower portion of said bag; d) inserting a burningobject into an opening of said upper portion of said bag and allowingsaid burning object to travel to said lower portion of said bag; e)actuating said closure mechanism to separate said upper portion of saidbag from said lower portion of said bag; wherein said burning object isextinguished.
 12. A method of using the ashtray as described in claim11, wherein a lower portion of said container is separated from an upperportion of said container so as to provide an opening in said container,and said bag is removed through said opening in said container.